After the fall Volume one: Gathering storm
by Doomblade
Summary: Set after the destruction of Beacon, The kingdoms of Vale and Atlas face threats from within as well as outside of their borders. As their enemies grow in number and strength, Ruby and her friends must unite to stop them. Volume one of a new trilogy, slow-burn WhiteRose and Bumblebee being the main pairings.
1. Chapter 1

**So this was an idea that I came up with while I was finishing up the one-shot series. Im not really sure how many volumes this'll wind up being, but so far I have 2 planned. Welp. Enough preamble let us begin!**

- **6 months after the battle of Beacon** -

Jaune stared blankly out the window of the ship as it glided low along the tree line. Off in the distance, he saw the others; about half a dozen other air ships. From what he'd been able to gather during their briefing, each one was being sent to various areas in Vale that were in need of support. "Never say Atlas doesn't back up what their promises," he mumbled under his breath. After the fall of Beacon, Atlas had promised continued military support for their unintentional role in it, their mechs having been turned against the defenders. Vale, what could pass for it's military scattered and under equipped, was more than willing to take the offer.

Shifting in his seat, he glanced back at the sleeping forms of his friends. Ren and Nora were passed out in one of the larger seats, her head resting on his shoulder and their fingers laced together tightly. The sight made Jaune smile a bit, but also caused a pain in his chest as he turned away. "Don't you dare start that again Arc…if you'd said something to stop her, you could've had that too.." He whispered, his fists clenching tightly.

It had been six months since Pyrrha's death, but despite what everyone tried to tell him the pain he felt at her loss wasn't getting any better. If anything, the more time that passed by, the more he reflected on their painfully short time together. It had been her who believed in him first. When so many people wrote him off, she was there. Pyrrha Nikos, who could have had anyone, for some reason chose him. And in typical fashion, he'd been blind to it until it was too late to matter.

"I should have known..the look on her face right before she kissed me..she knew what would happen. I LET it happen, I mean I-" he had to stop, his voice choking up on him. How many times had be replayed those last moments with her in his head? A few thousand at this point, looking at the number of ways he could have kept her alive. But it all ended up the same. There was no way to turn back time, so here he was; all alone again. But..maybe he shouldn't be blaming himself so the moment of truth had come, it hadn't been HIM that ultimately failed Pyrrha and let her die. Ruby had. The one person he thought he could count on more than Pyrrha. He was pulled from his thoughts by a hand shaking his shoulder. Turning, he saw an Atlas soldier staring down at him.

"Sorry for disturbing you, but were approaching the landing site. You should probably wake your two friends up and be ready. After we drop you off, we have to get back to base in a hurry," he said, walking away before Jaune could even answer. He sighed heavily and went to get them up. He shook Ren's shoulder lightly, his eyes opening halfway to meet Jaune's.

"Hey man..sorry for this, but were almost there." He said softly. Ren nodded and carefully woke Nora who grumbled a bit, but didn't try to fight it. They had just gotten their bags together when they heard the hissing noises of the ship slowly descending for a landing.

"Jaune..when we enter camp, try to be civil with her at least, alright?" Ren said. Jaune shrugged off the hand he put on his shoulder.

"No promises."

"Jaune…" Nora sighed, but Jaune was making his way down the exit ramp before another word could be said. Nora and Ren exchanged a concerned glance before following him. The camp was a relatively large collection of pre-fab buildings and tents; including a medical tent and decently sized barracks to sleep in. This was one of a dozen or so of its kind scattered all across Vale, a safe zone for the forces trying to combat the increasingly rising tide of Grimm.

"Hey!" A voice called to them. They turned in time to see Weiss heading to them. She gave Nora a quick hug and smiled tiredly at Ren and Jaune. "I expect the trip treated you well?"

"It did, indeed. The Atlas soldiers were most kind to us," Ren said with a slight bow.

"Though they could stand to learn to take a joke," Nora said, causing Ren to run a hand over his face.

"I don't think pulling a security alarm to be the first one in line for food constitutes a joke," he sighed

"You just don't understand my sense of humor," she pouted

"No, I do. I just don't find it all that funny very often," he said, though with a small smile on his face. She returned the gesture and wrapped both arms around his. The sight made Weiss smile until she saw that Jaune had turned so he didn't have to see this. She'd hoped he had improved at least a little since last time she'd seen him, but obviously he hadn't.

"Weiss, is Ruby here too?" Nora asked, causing her to turn towards Ren and her again..

"She is, but she's out on patrol right now. We've had some reports of Beowolves nearby. She's actually due to check in shortly, if you'd like to be there when she does. Ren and Nora nodded, but Jaune said or did nothing. "Jaune..?"

"No thanks. I think I'll try and get some food," he mumbled. Nora went to protest, but Weiss shook her head and she dropped it.

"He's..still not recovered," Ren said as they walked to the command center of the camp. "It's been concerning, especially since Ozpin informed us we were being re-assigned here.

"So Ozpin is doing okay?"

"He is…managing. Cinder really did a number on him, but he's coping as well as he can. How about you and Ruby? Have things been well?" Weiss sighed softly

"I've been well enough, I suppose. Having to argue with my father that Im staying here wether he likes it or not was rough, but Im over it now. Ruby..I'm starting to worry for her. Shes working herself half to death with all these missions, and with Yang being worse than she ever has been-"

"Yang? What happened to her?" Nora asked

"Blake came back." The statement caused both of them to freeze up for a moment. "Ruby and I found her, and well..we expected it to make Yang feel better. But it didn't."

"She still refuses a new arm?"

"Refuses to even consider it. I told her I would happily pay for it, but money isn't the issue. I think she's just..given up. And Blake has been taking all of this like you'd about expect. Just dealing with it, no matter what Yang says or does"

"I see..forgive my interruption, Weiss. You were making a point about Ruby."

"It'll be easier to let her show you how she is. Were almost there now," she said. They entered a much larger tent, maps and books were stacked on a large table in the center and other Atlas and Vale military personnel were busying themselves with one task or another. "Carter, has Ruby checked in yet?" Weiss asked walking over to the man she addressed.

"Not yet, ma'am. Though it's only a couple minutes over the required time. I wouldn't worry," he said, brushing the bangs of his light brown hair out of his eyes. Weiss scowled at him, making him bite back a laugh.

"Ma'am? Since when do you have rank?" Nora asked Weiss in a half teasing, half surprised tone.

"I don't. Carter just decided I act so much like I do, that he will call me that just to tick me off," she said, punching his arm when he laughed

"Well it's true. You must be Ren and Nora, right? Well, welcome to the party. It just keeps getting more crowded," he said, turning back to the radio he was monitoring. Weiss guided them to a empty space around the table, pulling up two chairs for them as she did.

"Radios like that have a pretty short range don't they? Is it wise to use them for field ops?" Ren asked as he and Nora sat down with her.

"Those are Atlas tech, so no. A bit more advanced than the ones Vale's army had. Without the tower, scrolls are pretty much glorified cameras, so we had to set up something," she said. Ren folded his hands and studied the map of the area, trying to absorb as much as he could without needing to bombard Weiss with more questions. Nora, on the other hand, had no such self control.

"Are thing's around here as bad as we've heard? Are villages still being wiped out? What about Cinders crew, any news on them-"

"Nora!"

"What? We've been out of the loop for a while Ren!"she said defensively.

"It's okay, Ren. Honest. Guess I'll answer the most important question first..we don't have any information on Cinder's whereabouts. All we have is that she told Ruby they were from Haven once. But that was a long time ago, not to mention they were lying about everything else back then, that was probably a lie too. And even if it wasn't, they probably would have moved somewhere else by now. And as for the other questions…were not doing as bad as some other areas, but it's not going good either, and yes…villages are still being attacked. Sometimes we get there in time sometimes we don't."

"Oh.." Nora said softly, looking down at her hands

"Grimm attacks are becoming more and more frequent, and that's not even the worst of it. Their becoming more coordinated. Like someone is in the background, pulling the strings. Some of the best hunters and huntresses we have are struggling to fight even low level Grimm if theres enough of them in one spot,"she said, one fist clenching tightly. Ren and Nora continued to stare down at the map, trying to comprehend just how far things had fallen in only a half a year. It made them terrified of where they could be in another six months.

"Well..at least with Atlas giving us so much help, we have a good chance of containing everything right? It should give us time to find Cinder at least," Ren said after about ten minutes of silence. Before Weiss could answer, Carter jumped up from his station and waved her over. Sighing, she stood and walked to him

"Yes?"

"Ruby's on. Thought you'd want to talk to her personally," He said, excusing himself to talk to Ren and Nora. Weiss smiled a bit and slid the earpiece into her ear.

"Ruby? Can you hear me?" She said, listening to the crackling of dead air before a response came.

"Loud and clear, princess. You miss me?" Came the tired voice of her partner. Weiss rolled her eyes at the weak attempt to joke. Her concern was how exhausted Ruby sounded.

"Yes, I have actually considering you failed to check in on time. Again. Really, must we go over this a dozen times? When I'm out on missions you never quit reminding me-"

"Well Im so sorry, I was a little occupied with the Grimm chasing me. Next time I'll be sure to stop and call in so you can hear my last words," Ruby snapped, the biting tone causing Weiss to flinch. A moment of silence passed before Ruby let out a long breath. "I..I'm sorry. I didn't get to eat this morning because I had to go do this mission, didn't eat much last night or sleep worth a damn either. Then this simple patrol mission goes sideways because a pack of Ursa wouldn't get off my back for five seconds-"

"Ruby. It's okay..Im not mad. I know what you've been going through, and I shouldn't have scolded you like a child. You..said you had an Ursa pack on you. Did you get hurt?" She asked, trying to sound calm though her stomach felt like it was twisting in terror at the thought of Ruby being hunted down and harmed.

"I'm okay, Weiss. But I'm out of ammo for Crescent Rose and honestly I don't think I could stand another fight like that for a while. I'll be back at camp in about ten minutes."

"Got it. Ruby..after this I think you should take a break from doing so many away missions alright?" There was no reply, just the sound of dead air filling her ear again. "Ruby? Did you get that?"

"I did. And you know that I can't do that Weiss," she said. Weiss let an aggravated sigh and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Weiss I just-"

"It's not that you can't Ruby it's that you won't, and you know damn well that's what it is," she said. "Your not going to be any use to us half-dead to the world from not sleeping or wearing yourself down so much out there. Your doing enough missions for three people for gods sake!"

"I have to do this! I thought you understood that.."

"How the hell could I ever understand wanting to run yourself in the ground?" Weiss demanded angrily. Ruby was silent for a couple minutes before replying

"I'll be in to see you after I get some food. I can see almost see the camp now," she said. Weiss took a calming breath before nodding

"Get some food and come straight here. You hear me..you dolt?"

"Yeah..I hear you Ice queen. Ruby out."

"Well..that went about as good as it usually does," she said as she let Carter have his station back. The man said nothing, just patted her shoulder a bit before sitting back down. Sighing one last time, Weiss walked back over to Ren and Nora to wait for Ruby.

- **dining area** -

Jaune hadn't recognized her right away. Her hair had grown out longer, almost past the tops of her shoulders and the red highlights in her hair had faded, but there was no mistaking that weapon strapped to her back. Ruby. Seeing her made his teeth clench and his fists clench so hard, he felt as though the nails would cut his palm. When she turned and saw him, he saw her eyes go wide before looking away. She walked in his direction, but went to a different aisle, never making eye contact with him. When she sat down, he cleared his throat loudly. "Not even going to have the guts to look me in my face?" He asked, not bothering to hide his anger.

"Why bother? So you can call me more names and act like I don't feel bad enough already?" She said softly, picking at her food. She'd been dreading this ever since she heard what was left of team JNPR was going to be joining them here. Jaune scoffed and pushed his tray of food aside. "What? Am I wrong?"

"Just think it's funny you twist this to being my fault. If you had just done what I'd asked-no BEGGED-you to do, I wouldn't feel like this. Pyrrha would be alive," he muttered. Ruby sat her fork down and looked a him, her mouth twisted up into a scowl

"Your right, Jaune. It was ALL me. I'm the one who shot Pyrrha with that arrow and I'm the one who burned her body away afterwards. Shame on me, your totally right!" She snapped. Jaune stood and walked over.

"Don't you dare get a condescending tone with me, got that? I haven't said anything that wasn't the truth. You were right there and didn't ANYTHING to help her!"

"I did my best, damn you! I ran up that tower as fast as I could, but by the time I landed on top, she'd already been shot! What could I have done differently?! You tell me, since your such a fucking expert!"

"I'm just surprised that someone that liked to brag about her speed so much could fail so amazingly when it really mattered," he said jabbing her shoulder with his finger. She smacked his hand away and stared daggers at him.

"Do you have any clue what I'd already gone through that night?! Im surprised I even had enough energy left to climb the whole tower, but of course you don't give a damn about that part."

"We all fought that night. You don't get bonus points for that," he growled

"Oh, okay. You fought some Grimm in front of the school, then you know what you did Jaune? You let Cinder kill Amber because you couldn't keep your eyes on the damn elevator for more than a minute. So you basically gift wrapped the fall maiden powers, bravo on that one. If you had just done that right, Pyrrha might be have been able to stand a chance. I meanwhile was fighting on the deck of a highjacked airship with two people, one of them my sister couldn't even stop, surrounded by dozens of flying Grimm! And then after all of that, I STILL ran up there to help!"

"Well, great fucking job. Sometimes I wish it had been you instead of her!" He yelled, feeling a pang of guilt as Ruby's face switched from furious to hurt. But he couldn't stop himself now, he was shaking he was so angry. "I hope Weiss never needs to have her life saved because if it depends on you she's as good as dead!"

"JAUNE ARC!" Weiss yelled as she stormed in to stand beside Ruby. He saw Ren and Nora staring in shock. He hadn't realized their shouting match had drawn a crowd. Ruby's shoulders were shaking, her head hung as tears ran down her face. If looks could kill, Weiss had already done so ten times over. "I ever catch you talking to her like that again, you'll live to regret it. Do you hear me?" She growled, guiding Ruby out of the tent.

"Jaune..what were you-" he didn't allow Ren to finish. He shoved by his teammates and walked towards the forest. He didn't know where he would stop, and didn't care. He needed to be away from here for a while.

 **And theres chapter one in the books, I do hope you enjoyed it guys. If you did, please leave a review/fav/follow this will be a long story and I'd love to hear how you all are liking it. Next chapter we check in with Yang and Blake, and also get a look at what Mercury and Emerald are up to these days. See ya'll next time**

 **-DB**


	2. Chapter 2

**So…holy crap. I checked the story this morning and saw theres already 9 people following it. Thank you guys very much for that, that beat my expectations.**

- **Patch** -

Blake knocked on the door lightly, shifting the tray in her free hand. "Yang? You awake yet?" She called, hearing no answer. She was about to turn around when she heard a sigh.

"Come on in," Yang said. Opening the door, Blake walked over and sat the tray down onto her lap.

"Your dad made you some breakfast. I figured you'd be pretty hungry, so I helped with some of the other stuff," she said, a small smile on her face. She was met only with silence. Blake took the seat beside the bed, folding her hands into her lap. "He..said that it was your favorite when you were younger. That you'd kick and fuss until he made it exactly your way. Sure sounds like you," she chuckled a bit. Her smile finally fell when Yang stared down blankly but made no motion to start eating. "Please Yang…you can't keep doing this. You need to start taking care of yourself again," she said.

"What's the point? Think if I make myself stronger again I can help fight?" She muttered, gesturing to her stump of an arm.

"You could if you'd get a prosthetic-"

"How many times are people going to try and push that on me?!" She snapped, her eyes flashing red for a brief moment. After a second, she slumped back against her pillows, staring out the window. "I'd rather be dead than walk around with a hunk of metal trying to pass for my arm."

"Your acting like you want to be dead regardless. You haven't left this house once since what happened, you barely talk to your family-"

"Why the hell do you care? You left me once, you'll probably just do it again!"

"Never! Im never leaving you again," Blake said firmly.

"And by the way, what if I do want to be dead?! You ever think that maybe I think it would be better than being a cripple for the rest of my life?!"

"Your choosing to let this beat you! Your not even considering the options you've been given. The Yang Xiao Long I know wouldn't roll over for anything, and yet here you are doing just that. Obviously your not the same person I knew," Blake said angrily. It broke her heart seeing Yang in this state, not least of all because she hadn't even forgiven herself for what had happened. But she was sick and tired of seeing this from someone she knew damn well was way too strong for it. Yang's eyes began to water a bit as she turned away again. "Yang.." She slowly reached her hand out and took Yang's. "You can get back out there. You can make a difference again..but only if you choose to," she said, standing up and walking towards the door.

"None of your understand.." Yang whispered, making her stop in her tracks. She turned to see Yang looking at her, tears now running down her face freely. "I'm nothing but a failure. I couldn't save you that night. If it wasn't for you we'd both be dead. And that was when I had both my real arms! Maybe..maybe if I'd only been able to beat that monster that night, things wouldn't have to be like this.."

"Yang-"

"Meanwhile, My little sister is out there right in the thick of everything, and am I there; fighting and helping her? No! Im stuck here because I can't even look at myself in the mirror anymore without feeling like I failed everyone I love and care about! I-I just.." She leaned forward, choked sobs taking over her attempts to form words. Blake walked back over and slowly reached out, wrapping her arms around her, letting Yang cry into her shoulder while her own eyes watered. Blake waited until her crying became softer and her shoulders quit heaving before saying anything.

"I felt the same way you did,"she whispered. Yang look up now, and Blake stared down at her. "When you were lying there unconscious..i hated myself, Yang. I hated that because I couldn't bring myself to try and truly stop Adam that you were nearly killed."

"You did the best you could..i never blamed YOU for this.. I wish you'd stop blaming yourself."

"That's just it, though. You should be blaming and yelling at me for this, because I DIDN'T fight my hardest. Not really. I didn't want to believe the man who mentored me and cared for me all that time had truly turned into something like that. An optimist to the end I suppose. To see what he was now, how far he had fallen..it was horrifying. That easily could have been me, Yang. If I hadn't seen the signs of where it was all headed and gotten out of there when I did..i don't know where I would have ended up."

"I doubt you'd ever be like him. Even if you'd stayed in there until you died, you could never be that way. Your too kind of a person.."Blake couldn't help but smile at that.

"You..have no idea how much it means to hear you say that," she said softly, her smile dropping a bit as Yang sniffed;another crying fit threatening to take over. "But if I'm not allowed to blame myself for what happened to you, then your not allowed to feel like you failed anyone. Because that is about as far from the truth as possible. You charged in, you didn't care who he was or what he could do, you only cared that he was hurting me. As far as I'm concerned..that's all that matters."

"I'm just so tired of feeling like I'm worthless now.." She said, pulling away from her and leaning back again. Blake bit her lip before letting out a long breath.

"Then…I think taking Ironwood up on his offer is something you need to seriously consider. Why are you so afraid of having it done?"

"Because I'm not stupid, Blake. I've seen how people who replace lost limbs get treated. Their looked at with pity. Like they need sympathy for what happened to them from everybody they meet. And even the ones who don't say anything have this look in their eyes that will drive you insane."

"So you care what random people think more than your what your loved ones do?"

"No! I didn't say-"

"That's what your implying, Yang. Weiss, Ruby and me couldn't care less if your arm is flesh and blood or metal. Neither would your father, Qrow, you name it. We can see how bad you want to be out there. But you've already been told that it's not going to happen with one arm only. So if being out there and fighting is the only thing that will break you out of this slump..you need to do it. People might make comments, but to hell with them. Besides..I know Ruby and Weiss miss you being there. And Im not going out there without my partner," she smiled; Yang returning it this time. She stood and headed back to the door, pulling it shut a little as she stepped out into the hall, "think about it. And eat before it gets any colder. Zwei is starting to get fat off of all the leftovers," she said as the door clicked shut; leaving Yang alone with her thoughts as she picked up her fork and began to eat.

"Maybe she's right..I can't sit here forever. Ruby will drag me out if I keep going like this. And she's got a point. Since when do I give a Ursa's ass about what random people think of me? God, I'm more messed up over this than I even realized. If Ruby ever got hurt and I could have stopped it if I would have just sucked it up and done this, I don't think id ever forgive myself. Still though..what if it goes wrong-damn it Xiao Long that's exactly what she was talking about! Snap out of it!'

She threw the covers off and grabbed the mostly empty plate, slowly walking to the kitchen, where Blake and Taiyang were talking. "Guys…is it cool if I say something real quick?" She asked as she sat her plate in the sink.

"Of course,"Blake nodded

"Go ahead, sweetheart,"

"I..Im really sorry. I know I've been worrying everyone with how I've been the last few months. I've just been so scared and confused I didn't know where to even start."

"After what you went through, you don't have to apologize for whats happened. That's not something most people can just shrug off."

"I-I know dad..just..i need you to do me a favor. Before I lost my nerve all over again."

"Just name it."

"Call Ironwood back..tell him I want to try this whole 'new arm' offer of his," she said, smiling a bit at the look of relief on Blake's face and the grin of her fathers. He excused himself to go make the call as Yang sat down at the table.

"What made you change your mind?" Blake smiled

"Honestly…you. Everything you said in there really made me think, and I decided you were right."

"Well..don't get too used to it. I've only got so many pep talks in me and Ruby has already used most of quota for the year," she said. The two girls laughed, one of the few times Yang had genuinely done so in a long time as they waited for Taiyang to return.

- **Haven** -

Emerald leaned back against the wall as she and Mercury kept watch over the front of the warehouse. "How much longer do we have to sit here? My sores are getting sores at this point," she muttered. She sighed in frustration when he shrugged. "Is this even the right place?"

"I just go by the address. And it let us to this place. So…think comfortable thoughts until then, I don't know," he said, a little smirk crossing his face when he glanced at her.

"Asshole."

"Ah, you love me and you know it."

She folded her arms and turned to look away from him. "In your dreams, buddy," she said. Emerald had begun to despise missions like this. Since they'd moved their base out of Haven, Cinder had been sending them here and there cleaning up loose ends. Or at least that's what they were supposed to be doing. It wasn't all bad, though. It got her away from the woman for a few hours to a couple days. Lately just being near her caused shivers to run down her back and not just fear, but with disgust. "What do we do once were in?" She asked after sitting in silence for a few minutes. Mercury raised an eyebrow and leaned back, letting out a breath.

"She wants him dead. Same as the others. But..I'm thinking it'd probably be for the best to follow her instructions this time."

"Since when did you start giving a damn what she wanted again?"

"I don't, Em. But we can't keep letting them go either. Eventually the 'hunters interfered' excuse is going to wear thin. Im pretty sure she already knows. She just cant afford to get rid of us for now," He said, looking at her. Emerald knew he had a point. Lately if they'd been ordered to silence someone, they would instead just let them disappear on their own. Cinder-and to a much more worrying extent the White Fang's- increasing bloodthirsty way of doing things had started to worry them very quickly. Images of what she'd done to Neo after what happened to Roman often replayed in their minds. And Emerald had no desire to end up like her, but more than that, Cinder showed they were all expendable. Their lives meant nothing to her, but she had no problem telling them to risk theirs at ever turn. And as far as they were concerned, that wasn't someone worth being truly loyal too.

"I don't want to do this," she mumbled. "She's got her pets the White Fang for this. Im done being her attack dog." Mercury studied her look for a moment before nodding a bit.

"Then we do our usual routine. And it looks like we decided just In time. There goes the last of his workers," he said. They jumped up and quickly made their way down the fire escape. Crossing quickly, they walked through the large chain link gate and into the office area where the target was. A large, balding man in a foremans uniform. Even if Emerald wasn't fed up with all this, she couldn't have killed him. He looked way too pitiful. "Hey there," Mercury said. The man jumped a bit and spun around.

"Are you here to rent a storage unit? Sorry, but were all closed up for the night." Emerald slowly closed the door and them the blinds. "U-uh..is there a problem?"

"Not if you shut up and listen. You recall about..seven or eight months ago you were approached by a..'friend' of ours about storing some less than legal items here, yes? And spare us the runaround, buddy. You probably already know who it was," Mercury said. The man stuttered uncontrollably to the point Emerald almost smacked him, but she stopped herself.

"Y-yes. I remember her..the eyes of a devil, that one had. And her annoying friend with the cane and hat."

"Oh you found him annoying too? You'll be happy to know he's dead."

"Oh…that's…good?"

"For my sanity, yes." Emerald said with a slight laugh. Mercury shushed her and went on.

"Unfortunately this same 'friend' has seen fit to terminate you now. You know about her and the things that she kept her under your watch. If your ever investigated well..you could spill everything now couldn't you?" The mans face was paper white and his knees were now trembling.

P-please..i-ill pay you all the lien you want! As much as I can!"

"Calm down. Were not here for your money, as a matter of fact you should count yourself lucky were the ones she chose for this. See..I really don't want to get blood on me. The stuff stains like you wouldn't even begin to believe. So sadly, I just can't be bothered today."

"You..your letting me go? No questions asked, I'm off the hook?" He asked shakily. Emerald shook her head at this

"Not exactly. Were giving you until tomorrow to leave Haven. Don't care where you go, just can't stay here."

"What happens if I don't?" He whispered

"Oh..you really don't want to know the answer to that. Twenty four hours passes, you better be gone. Understood?" Mercury said

"Yes! Yes of course! Oh thank you so-"

"Don't thank us. Just do it." Emerald said, both of them turning and heading out. As they left, they heard the man hurriedly packing everything in sight from his office so he could head home. "Thanks for that Merc." She said, smiling a bit. He looked at her, a small smirk of his own on his face.

"You realize eventually our number is going to come up, right?"

"I'm not worried. By then, we'll already have figured a way out of this mess. Anyone she takes her anger out on from that point can burn for all I care. As long as were both okay."

"Aw, I'm absolutely touched. Didn't think even I mattered as much as yourself," he said. She threw her arms behind her head as they walked down the street.

"Then you should start paying more attention," she said, making him stop in place.

"The hell does that mean?" She kept walking. "Em?" He called, hurrying to catch up, but still no answer. "Women." He sighed.

 **So that was a thing and a half to write. Seriously the Emerald and Mercury bits took forever.**

 **Again, thanks very much for all the follows on this story so far guys. If you all enjoyed please remember to review and all that. Next chapter we get some more of the falling out between Jaune and Ruby as well as getting a peek as to the situation in Vales leadership. See ya'll next time.**

 **-DB**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey there, all and welcome to chapter 3. Uh…geez I had this whole thing planned…ah screw it.**

Jaune had spent the better part of the last few hours walking around in the forest, wanting to keep as much distance as he could for as long as he could. Eventually his feet ached so much he had to stop. He found a large tree that had low hanging branches, providing a nice shady spot. Leaning his back against it, he took in a deep breath as he tried to allow himself to relax. The anger he'd felt during his argument with Ruby had faded, but even as he thought this, his fist clenched a bit at her name.

If someone had told him he would be like this with one of his first real friends a few months ago, he never would have believed it. Ruby had always been like a sister towards him and now here he was, cursing the fact that shes even near him. "How times change.." He said.

Part of him was well aware that Ruby wasn't to blame for this situation. Really no one except Cinder and her crew were. But that small part of him was always drowned out by a bigger, even louder voice. Sure, Ruby hadn't been the one to kill Pyrrha, but she hadn't saved her either. Maybe that wasn't fair, and if you really looked at it, it was a horrible thought to have. But he just couldn't see it any different right now, even knowing he should. "God..what is wrong with me?" He whispered, slowly closing his eyes

. He hadn't realized he fell asleep until he opened them again. The sun had gone down for the most part, the forest around him bathed in dark orange light. Sighing, he stood up and decided to head back. Getting into camp after dark was always a pain, and he didn't feel like a lecture. By the time he got back through the main gate however all light was gone amd the night sky had fully come out. Nora and Ren were waiting near the entrance, the former rushing to him and squeezing him in a bear hug.

"You've been gone all day! We thought something happened!" She said

"Yeah..well..suffocation is currently..happening.." He winced out,which prompted Nora to drop him. "I went for a walk and ended up falling asleep. Nothing happened, alright?" He said, sighing at the look on Ren's face.

"Fine. But I believe you should go apologize to Ruby."

Jaune pretended to clean his ears out. "You said what now?"

"Apologize to Ruby for your harsh words. Wether you like it or not, we are expected to work alongside her for the duration and I personally would rather not be worried about the two of you being at each others throats."

"I will NEVER apologize to her for speaking the truth," he snapped.

"Jaune your being completely unreasonable. You've seen how upset Ruby was about it, but here you are acting like she wanted all of this.." Nora said softly. Jaune's fists clenched at his side, shaking his head as he walked past Ren who reached for him.

"Don't. I'll think about it, but I'm not promising a damn thing, got that?" He said, his head turned downward as he walked further into the camp. Nora let out a long sigh as she wrapped her arms around one of Ren's.

"I wish she was here..she would be so upset to see him like this," she said.

"Her not being here is the cause of all of it. I understand his grief, though. If I were to lose you..I can't say with absolute certainty I wouldn't turn out the same way," he said. When he felt her grip tighten, he smiled and kissed the top of her head. "Its getting late..let's get some food."

"Sounds great to me!" She grinned

- **Ruby's tent-**

"You don't think you'd be a lot more comfortable in the actual barracks? You don't have to sleep down here on the ground." Weiss said, shifting a bit as Ruby handed over her drink.

"It's way too crowded in there, with all the soldiers and the other hunters. I prefer it out here," she said. Weiss nodded and took a slow sip from her cup.. "Besides, Im used to camping thanks to Yang; and it's nice not being woke up by people coming and going all the time.

"Ugh, you have no idea. One of the Atlas huntresses came in like a freight train at about one in the morning. Think she was off somewhere with her boyfriend." She said with an eye roll that made Ruby giggle a bit.

"Well that's what happens when you split up girls and guys. They'll just start sneaking around," she said with a grin. "Wait…your sleeping in the same place as the others? I would have thought you'd have your own quarters."

"Oh ha-ha. I don't have my own tent, and it's not like theres a hotel around here, dolt."

They sat in silence for a moment before Weiss looked back up at her. "Are you..doing better about this whole thing? Them being back?" Ruby's expression fell, her eyes falling to stare at her hands. "I-I don't mean to upset you, it's just...I was worried. It took you a while to calm down."

"Im thrilled to see Ren and Nora..even more thrilled Ren got his head out of his ass and finally asked her out. But Jaune? I don't know what I was expecting Weiss but..not that. Definitely not that. I don't think me and him even raised our voices to each other back at Beacon and now.." Her eyes began to water.

"You don't have to talk about it anymore right now if you don't want to. As I said, I wasn't trying to upset you," Weiss said, reaching out and putting a hand on her arm, getting a half smile out of Ruby, but it faded as quick as it appeared. "Ruby.."

"He hates me..the way he looked at me, you'd think I was no better than Cinder in his eyes I understand losing her killed him, but he wasn't there! I did my best… I just don't know what else I could've done Weiss.." She said, her voice becoming tight as a sob threatened to burst out of her. Weiss wrapped her arms around her partners shoulders and pulled her into a hug, Ruby's face resting against her shoulder. "Maybe he's right..maybe it should have been me instead. If I cant save one friend, what good am i-"

Weiss tightened her grip on her, her own eyes full of tears. "Ruby Rose if I ever hear you say something like that again I will slap you. And don't think I won't either. How long did it take you to climb up the tower?"

"What? What does that have to do with anything-"

"How long Ruby?"

"T-Thirty seconds give or take.."

"Thirty seconds. Do you even realize how tall that tower was? To do it in thirty seconds when your aura was as spent as it was is nothing short of incredible. You couldn't have done any better, and everyone except Jaune understands that."

"I could have Weiss..I could have pushed my semblance more, I've done it a few times-"

"What, and risk killing yourself from the aura exhaustion you might have gotten? You'd already been fighting all night, Ruby. Stop it. You did the best you could, end of discussion." Ruby stared up at her for a few moments, Weiss meeting her gaze. "Understand me?" She whispered to which Ruby could only nod, a light red color entering her cheeks.

Ruby slowly reached up and ran her fingers over Weiss' left cheek, Weiss felt a slight shiver run up her back, but otherwise didn't react. It was when she saw Ruby slowly leaning up that she released her hold on her and stood, the same color flushing her own face. "I-I should let you rest. It's getting a little late, and uh..we both have a pretty full day tomorrow."

"But..Weiss-" Ruby sighed sadly as she hurried out. "Damn it…I thought she..god I'm such an idiot," she whispered, curling up in the sleeping bag and slowly closing her eyes.

"I am SUCH an idiot," Weiss said softly as she headed off to the barracks to try and get some sleep.

- **Atlas command ship –**

A knock at the door made Ozpin and Ironwood look up from the map they had been staring at. Glynda peeked her head in. "Pardon the interruption, but Qrow has just arrived."

"Thank you, Glynda. Send him in right away." Ironwood said. They waited for a few moments before Qrow walked in, his face bearing the same expression the both of theirs did: exhaustion. "Qrow..It's good to see you haven't managed to get yourself killed just yet."

"I'm stubborn if nothing else, Jimmy. You should know that by now, though. Oz." he said, nodding to the former headmaster. Ozpin nodded and slowly sunk back into his chair, pain flicking across his face. He took a deep breath in and steadied himself as the two other men also sat. "So…how's things around here?"

"Time for that later, Qrow. You know we'd prefer to get to your report first," Ozpin said. Qrow shifted in his seat a bit before nodding.

"Figured that would be the case. Unfortunately nothing I've discovered has been good. The White Fang has amped up their attacks, not only here in Vale, but in Atlas well. It hasn't gotten too bad there. At least not yet. But I think the fact their trying to push harder against more than one kingdom than they ever have before means we got bigger problems than we realized."

"What do you mean?" Ironwood asked

"Cinder, the Grimm, the White Fang. It's all synching up so well. Cinder may have the fall maidens powers now, but I doubt even she could pull this off so effectively. Not without someone giving her oversight."

"So…what you are saying is theres another player in all of this. Someone we don't know about."

"More or less, that's the size of it. Unfortunately none of my sources have the faintest idea who it could be."

"Have you checked with every source?" Ozpin said, pushing his glasses up a bit. Qrow's face darkened a bit, shaking his head.

"I haven't heard from Raven in weeks. Add that to my big list of mysteries." There was a tense silence in the air that only broke when Ironwood cleared his throat.

"Thank you for the report, Qrow. I'll let the council back in Atlas know what all is going on. The White Fang attacks won't be news, but they'll ask to be told regardless. You know how they can tend to be."

"Unfortunately I do. Take care, Jimmy." Ironwood nodded and walked out, closing the door behind him. Qrow slowly turned to Ozpin, "How are the kids doing Oz? And I mean for real. Not what you tell Glynda and Jimmy to keep them from worrying."

"Team CFVY is performing above and beyond any hope you ever could have placed on them. They've been on security with Port for some time, keeping the trade routes guarded. They don't like being away from the 'actual fighting' as they call it, but with the rest of the kingdom already in crisis, the last thing we need is to lose those traders.I haven't heard from team CDRL in a while unfortunately, so any news of how their mission goes is unknown. And what remains of team RWBY and JNPR have linked up and are preparing to move against a rather large nest of Grimm."

"Well then those Grimm don't stand a chance. Even at almost half strength, that's a great pair of teams to have on that one."

"Yes, and once your Nieces new arm is completed, I'm certain she will be eager to join the fight herself."

"Yeah Tai mentioned she's going through with it. Wouldn't shock me one bit. Im just glad Yang is starting to get out of the funk she'd been in for a while. It was starting to worry me even, and that's normally Tai's job," he chuckled. "Well..I should probably be going. Got a lot of stuff to finish up and less and less time to do it in. I swear..I'm getting too old for this shit," he muttered as he walked towards the door.

Ozpin chuckled softly, "take care, Qrow. Make sure to stay In touch when you can."

"Likewise, Oz. And I will." He said as the door shut behind him. Ozpin relaxed himself against the back of the chair, his eyes falling to the map of Vale once again, wondering if there would be a light at the end of the tunnel anytime soon. He hoped so, but sincerely doubted it.

 **I am SO sorry I didn't get to post this yesterday. Literally everything that could go wrong decided too and I ended up have to re-type this chapter TWICE. Ugh!**

 **Anyways, enough of that. Next chapter we see Ruby and Weiss have a bit of a falling out of their own, and we check in with Yang and Blake. Thank you all for reading, if you wouldn't mind please leave a review if you liked it, it's always greatly appreciated**

 **'Till next time,**

 **-DB**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey there everyone. Sorry for the bit of a delay on getting this next chapter to you. Took me forever to find time this weekend to write.**

 **-Camp, three days later-**

Ruby was woken up by the sounds of soldiers moving around the camp and equipment being loaded onto vehicles. She sat up and peeked out, seeing she had slept much later in the day than she had intended too. "Great. I probably missed the meeting. Like I had to give Weiss MORE reasons to be on my case. That if she even talks to me today," she mumbled as she gathered her things up. She didn't know how much longer she could take this. Weiss hadn't been by to see her since that night and even when they saw each other around camp, the heiress wouldn't even meet her eyes.

"I don't know why I'm so surprised. Of course Weiss Schnee of all people isn't going to want someone like me," she said softly. She hated that she felt this strongly for someone who she couldn't have, but that was just her luck it seemed. When she got to where the others were, Weiss refused to look at her, just as she figured. "Morning everyone."

"Morning Ruby," Nora smiled

"Did you sleep well?" Ren asked as Ruby shook his hand.

"Can't complain much..I'm sorry I don't ever seem to be around since you got back but.." Her eyes wandered over to Jaune who was standing to the left by himself. Ren nodded his understanding and let Ruby stand by him. "So are we finally making the move on that nest?" She asked, motioning to all the soldiers hurrying around

Weiss cleared her throat and looked at everyone, though she glanced over Ruby quicker than the others. "Yes. Ironwood seems to think it's best. We set up camp here to funnel them towards us but they've just been finding ways around our patrols to attack the villages nearby," Weiss said, walking by her quickly before Ruby could respond.

"Then what are waiting for? They won't kill themselves," Jaune said.

"Everyone go gear up and be ready to move," Weiss called over her shoulder. Jaune walked off towards the armory, not waiting for anyone. Ruby walked with Ren and Nora who both exchanged a concerned look.

"Did..something happen with you and Weiss?"

"No, nothing happened. That's the point."

"I..I do not understand."

"Don't worry about it, Ren. It's my problem, and I'll deal with it." _Now I've got to worry about Jaune hating me AND Weiss avoiding me. I am so screwed._ ' She thought. When she walked in to get Crescent Rose, Weiss glanced at her but didn't speak. Ruby bit down hard on her lip to keep from trying to say something. She wasn't going to do it. Nope. But finally after five minutes of quietly making some adjustments to her weapon she couldn't stand it anymore. "So..your just going to give me the silent treatment unless it involves a mission huh?" Her sudden direct question made Weiss look down at the floor.

"That's just great, Weiss. Such a great partner you are. Look, I get what I tried to do the other night caught you off guard, but damn it you could at least have the guts to TELL me what you thought. Even if you hated that I tried and wanted to tell me to back off, that would be better than this! Im not Blake. Im not going to let this avoiding each other garbage get out of control. So you tell me right here right now what it is your thinking."

Weiss sighed sadly and turned to face her "Ruby..I'm just not sure what you possibly expect me to say here. What happened was..difficult for me," she said softly. Ruby looked as though someone had smacked her, mouth hanging open a bit.

"Difficult for YOU? Oh, I'm so sorry. I was the one who left YOU afterwards right? Im the one who ran off?"

"And you think I'm proud of that?! It wasn't exactly my finest moment Ruby. I just.." She trailed off, not sure how to say it. Ruby scoffed and shook her head.

"You know what I hate Weiss? I hate not knowing where I stand with people. Jaune has been an asshole to me, but at least he's honest as to why. But you? I expected more from you. I don't know whats worse. That you know how I feel now and you don't feel the same or that you don't give a damn how your silent treatment has made me feel since then!"

At this Weiss' eyes narrowed. "I NEVER said that's how it was! Don't you dare put words in my mouth Ruby!"

"Well someone has to because this is the most we've spoken in days!" Ruby snapped back just as angrily. Weiss ran a hand through her hair in frustration

"Look. I..I'm just not sure if..if you really want to know what I think about all this" She whispered.

"The hell I don't. Spill it." Weiss sighed and sat down

"Ruby..i'm sorry I've been avoiding you, and I'm even more sorry I ran the other night. The truth is I had been hoping to wait until all of this was over for..that to happen. And you trying to jump into it so suddenly scared me."

Ruby's eyes widened a bit as she listened, slowly sitting down across from her. "Scared you..? Why?"

"Because your wrong about everything. I DO feel the same way..I have for some time now. I..I just can't do it Ruby. I can't..be with you like that while all this mess is going on. If something ever happened to me or to you on a mission..well look at Jaune," she said meeting her eyes. Ruby felt herself wince at the comparison before sighing herself.

"That won't happen Weiss."

"You don't know that."

"And neither do you! Weiss, are you kidding me with this? After everything we've been through together your going to let this be the thing that keeps us-"

"Because I couldn't stand losing you Ruby!" Weiss said, her eyes watering. "I couldn't..I just couldn't."

"So what? If I died today, you'd be fine just because we were never together?" Ruby demanded, though her own eyes were full of tears and her voice was shaking.

"No! Stop saying things I never said! I could never stand it Ruby, but it would just make it even more painful. Please..can we just not talk about this anymore? Or at least wait until things have gone back to normal?"

Ruby shook her head and shoved past her on the way to the door. "Have it your way, princess. Im done," She muttered, slamming the door as she left. Weiss covered her mouth with her hand and began to cry.

 **-Patch-**

Yang stared down at the blueprint laid out on the table before her, Blake to her left and Taiyang to her right. Ironwood had made sure to send not only the design for her new arm, but some info on the surgery that would be involved with attaching it. She was thankful she wasn't reading through it alone. because more than once the details had almost made her reconsider it. Blake scooted a bit closer, her hand resting on Yang's arm. "Your going to make it through this alright? I will be there with you every step of the way."

"I'm just wanting to get it over with if I'm being honest with you, Blake. The more time that passes, the more and more time I have to re-think this," she said softly. Taiyang kissed the top of her head and went to start making dinner, leaving the two of them alone. "Do..you think It'll take a long time for me to be cleared for fighting?" she said as she leaned back against the couch. Blake shrugged and did the same, her hand moving to rest on top of hers. Yang glanced down at this and smiled as she started rubbing the top of the Faunus' hand with her thumb. Blake blushed a bit, but smiled back.

"I don't know, Yang but..part of me hopes it takes a while."

"Why's that?"

"Because...I kind of like it just being you and me. I mean, your fathers around but...most of the time it's just me. I..hadn't realized just how much i missed you while I was gone until I got back here. So..us getting back out there and being surrounded by all of that again can wait a while, as far as I'm concerned.." her voice trailed off a bit as she slowly leaned her head against Yang's shoulder.

"Yeah..I think I can live with a couple more weeks of peace. Although, we have to leave for Atlas in three day's and with travel being as tight as it is, I think were going to be getting a lot more stress very very soon," Yang sighed. Blake squeezed her hand tighter, making her glance down. "But..as long as your with me, I don't care. I don't know if I could do this without you Blake..you..your the reason I have enough strength to do this. I can't thank you enough.." she whispered. Blake's heart began to beat a little faster when she saw Yang's eyes slowly close, her face inching closer.

 _Is..Is she going to do what I think she is? Should..should we be doing this? Do I want-Oh who am I kidding? Of course I do."_ Blake closed her eyes and leaned closer, her lips pressing against Yang's, causing a warmth to spread all through her. The kiss only lasted a few moments, but it was no less perfect for that When Yang pulled away she had a grin on her face that reminded Blake of how things were before all of this. It made her so happy to see that she could make her that happy. "That was perfect.." she whispered, voicing the thought she had a moment ago. Yang moved so her arm was wrapped tightly around her waist.

"Can..we do it again?" Yang asked

"Like you even have to ask..." she whispered back, pulling her into another kiss, this one harder than before. Blake wrapped both arms tightly around her neck and held Yang as close as she could. They only broke apart when Taiyang cleared his throat from the entrance to the kitchen.

"I...hate to break this up but I could use some help with dinner, Blake."

"I..I..um..." she stuttered, causing Yang to burst laughing

"Go on...plenty of time later" she said with a wink. Blake stood, giving her one more quick kiss before going into the kitchen. Yang relaxed back again, staring at the plans for her arm then back to Blake in the kitchen. "Man...thing's are finally starting to look up for me..

 **And...another chapter done. Next chapter: Ruby's group launches their attack on the Grimm nest and we get some more from Emerald and Mercury**

 **later,**

 **-DB**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello there, everyone I hope your doing well today….and uh..that's all I got. Enjoy!**

- **Grimm nest** -

Ruby gazed down the scope of her weapon, slowly examining the front of the cavern. Remnant knew how many Grimm were hiding in there, and now they had to fight them. She could see four Beowolves crouched in pairs on either side of the main path, but other than that all was quiet. Hopping down from her vantage point she turned to the others. "They've got four Grimm just sitting by the entrance. Like..their standing guard."

"Four? We've tackled way more than that," Jaune said.

"There's a lot more than just the ones she saw."

"We don't even know exactly how many there are Jaune. If they call for help-" Ren was cut off by Jaune turning to him.

"They won't get away. I won't let them." He said, fists clenching

"And if they do? Ren is right, we can't just hurry in there. Our reinforcements aren't in position just yet," Weiss said.

"Oh of course you side with anyone but me," Jaune muttered sourly. Nora huffed impatiently at his tone.

"You know what Jaune? Your starting to get on my last nerve with the constant attitude you have lately" she snapped

"My thought's exactly." Weiss said

"Oh, forgive me Ms 'Queen of the castle'.. I didn't realize I was put here to keep you and Ice Queen there nice and relaxed." Nora's eyes narrowed, fist clenching

"What did you just say you little-" Ren had to throw his arm around her waist to keep her from storming over.

"HEY!"

Ruby's shout caused them all to flinch. "How about we quit fighting with each other for three seconds and focus on this? I'm with Weiss. Wait until the soldiers are in position, then we can ambush them." Weiss gave her a small smile as she said this, but Ruby didn't return it; instead turning back towards the nest. An uncomfortable silence settled over the group, Ren off to the side with Nora while Jaune sat off on his own. Weiss kept near Ruby, but still gave her a bit of distance.

Ten minutes passed before Weiss was contacted by one of the soldiers, confirming they were there and ready to begin on the teams signal. Nodding to Weiss, Ruby climbed back up and aimed at one of the Beowolves, none of them having moved. Her gun fired, hitting one right in the eye, it's body flailing around briefly before slowly burning away. As one, the three other Grimm snapped their heads from side to side looking for a threat, but saw nothing. Another shot from Ruby's weapon and the next one dropped. This time however, one of the two remaining was looking in her direction and had seen her rifle flash. When it tilted it's head to the side and slowly licked its fangs, she knew they'd seen her.

Arching their backs, both of them let out a long drawn-out howl. Through her scope, Ruby saw a sight that made a chill of fear spread through her. The darkness of the cavern came alive with the burning red eyes of the Grimm inside. They flooded out into the clearing, Ruby sniping a few as their heads peeked out, but unable to even make a dent. She hurriedly pressed her earpiece, "open fire!" She shouted. From the left and right came a flood of blue shots, the sound automatic gunfire and cries from the Grimm filling the air. Over this, she heard the others hurry past the tree she was in and into the fight. "Heads up, were going in. Make sure you check your shots!" She said as loud as she could into the earpiece. There was a faint sound of acknowledgement from the other end, but Ruby couldn't make it out.

Standing, she transformed crescent rose back into it's scythe form and jumped in, slicing a pair of Ursa who had tried to get around Nora to attack her. The fought side by side, just as they'd always done, fighting from the center while the Atlas troops on their sides too care of the the intial push, , the tide of Grimm surging towards them wasn't ebbing. For every one they killed, four more seemed to jump into that spot. Ruby spun on her spot when she heard a cry of pain near her left. Ren fell to one knee, clutching his arm as blood ran down his sleeve. An Alpha Beowolf stood over him, claws raised high. Ruby went to interfere, but never got the chance.

"Get away from him!" Nora cried, launching herself at the Alpha. Her hammer collided with the skull mask dead center, The creatures head burst into nothingness its body not far behind. "Are you okay?!" She said, dropping down beside him.

"I'll be fine, Nora. Don't worry so much.." He smiled a bit getting to his feet, although a bit shakily. Ruby glanced back at Weiss as the Grimm circled them. They saw the shots from their help growing fainter as they were pursed further in by the Grimm not engaged with the hunters.

"I've got a plan." Weiss chuckled a bit in spite of herself.

"Don't you always?"

"Let's show 'em our new move. Ice storm." Weiss' face showed a flicker of concern but she nodded and formed a large glyph in front of Ruby, who holstered her weapon and crouched down low.

"Look out!" Ren called suddenly. A pack of Grimm threw themselves towards the two girls, their snarls intensifying as they realized this new threat to them. Ruby saw a blur of movement to her right before either of them could react. Jaune rolled through, coming to rest between them and the pack. His shield glowed a bright gold as a barrier of the same color leapt from it. The pack was stopped dead in it's tracks, their claws bouncing off the barrier.

"Jaune…" Ruby whispered

"Whatever your gonna do, so it fast," he said straining as more and more Grimm slashed at the defense. Ruby nodded and after a moment more of waiting, the Glyph in front of Weiss stopped spinning

"Go!" Ruby flung herself through the Glyph, spinning around as she did so. A burst of rose petals surrounded by the blue energy of the glyph surged all through the ranks of the Grimm, freezing any who were touched by it. Ruby reverted to her normal state for just a moment then split into three separate bursts of rose petals, one going up the left side, one to the right and the main one to the center. When Ruby finally landed back by everyone, the clearing was covered in Grimm frozen solid as a rock. Ren and Jaune were stunned while Nora was practically bouncing on the spot.

"That was so cool! How long have you two been able to do that?!"

"Ruby was he one who suggested it, actually. We've never dealt with enough Grimm to make it worth the trouble, however."

"Yeah it..it really.." Ruby had to stop, her breaths coming out of her in short, almost pained gulps.

"Ruby? Are you okay?" Ren asked, concern in his voice. Weiss sighed softly and put one of Ruby's arms over her shoulder.

"She'll be fine, she's just exhausted. Using her semblance that quick and that long while also having to channel the freeze element takes a lot out of her and she already wasn't sleeping well." Ruby mumbled something, but Weiss couldn't make it out. Weiss glanced at Jaune who was hacking away at the frozen Grimm, making sure they stayed gone. "He helped us without a second thought….Im honestly shocked."

"He's not himself these days but..theres flashes of the old Jaune from time to time," Nora said.

Weiss took a moment to look over the battlefield as the soldiers came into view, helping to destroy the Grimm statues. She saw that at least a dozen Atlas and Vale troopers had been hurt, but she hadn't seen how since the trees covered most of their fight. Their group had a few bad bruises and scrapes, but Ren's left arm was the only serious wound they'd incurred and his aura was already patching him up. Just when she was about to suggest they start heading back, she felt the ground rumble beneath her feet. "Um..guys…?" She said as a loud, gravelly roar filled the air.

"That doesn't sound good.." Ren said softly. The ground beneath the cavern began to crack and ripple, two large claws bursting from the ground. Slowly the gap opened wider and wider until it burst open, revealing a huge Grimm that slowly dragged itself out and in front of body of the beast before them reminded Weiss of the dragon, but this new Grimm had three heads that were connected by long, bony necks and mouths full of razor sharp teeth.

"Yep. Definitely not good!" Nora said

- **Unknown location, Somewhere in Northeastern Vale** -

"About time the two of you showed up. They don't like to be kept waiting, and you know this." Mercury rolled his eyes at the faunus who glared at him from behind his White Fang mask.

"When we want your opinion Alister, we'll beat it out of you. Till then, keep your damn mouth shut and let us in," he said. Alister ground his teeth but pressed the keypad a few times, granting them access to the hideout. Emerald felt her stomach knot up a bit as she walked down the hallway.

"What do we do if she knows?"

"We'll figure something out.. Relax. We'll be okay," he said nudging her arm.

"If you say so, Merc," she mumbled. The large open area that greeted them when they exited the hallway was bustling with activity. White Fang operatives were loading and unloading various pieces of gear, rifles, combat armor and the like. It usually meant another big attack was in the works. At least Emerald never had to see what went on there.

"Ah…there they are at last," Cinder said as she stepped into their view. Emerald gulped a bit as they walked over. "Your early. You arrived in Haven just a few days ago."

"Got lucky there. The guy was just sitting in his office at work. Closed off, not a lot of room to work with..never stood a chance," Mercury said

"It was adorable how he begged to be let go, I have to say." Emerald added. Cinder studied both of their looks for a moment before smirking and sitting back down.

"Excellent work, as always. Another rat vanishes, the world none the wiser."

"Thank you ma'am," Emerald said, almost unable to restrain the sour look that threatened to enter her look. They were waved towards two seats which they took. Mercury took in the small stack of papers and tilted his head a bit to read them.

"Good news?"

"The best. Our informants in Atlas say they are close to a breakthrough with finding the winter maiden."

"She will be glad to hear that.." Emerald said

"Less so if she was told our true mission." That made Mercury and Emerald look at each other confused, which amused her to no end. "Were not going to capture this one for her. Were going to kill her."

"Are you kidding..she'll be furious!"

"Perhaps. But she cannot do much to stop me, I'm afraid. The one ally she believes she has is fully on my side."

"Adam Taurus." Mercury said, to which Cinder nodded. "Personally I don't trust him as far as I could throw him, which ain't far."

"Once he tracks down the artifact I need, he'll have outlived his usefulness as well. But that could be a while yet, and I need his men."

"Where is he anyway?" Emerald asked

"He requested no one but I know."

"A-Alright well..where are all these Fang members going?" Cinders smirk slowly grew, that cold gleam entered her eyes that made her regret her question.

"Arenveil. It's a town to the west that Atlas has set up as one of it's supply points. Destroying it will leave them low on several essential items. She has already promised a large number of Grimm to help take it."The weight of the plan slowly sunk in as they sat there. Flashbacks of the fall of Beacon flashed before Emeralds eyes. The Grimm attacking anyone who got near them, the White Fang attacking students as if they were nothing but fodder to he cut down. Her fist clenched tightly as Cinder stood. "You two have earned a rest, I believe. I'll give you the a week to prepare yourselves for our next phase…until then." Mercury shook Emeralds shoulder to jar her back into reality as Cinder left them alone. She let him help her up

"We've got a week. We should start looking into everything while we have the time."

"Merc..she's going to wipe out a whole town.."

"I..I know there's no way we can stop that if their already packing up. Even if they weren't I don't think there'd be anything we could do."

"No..there IS something we could do. But we need to figure a way to get out of here safely first." She insisted. Mercury put a hand on her shoulder.

"We will. But not yet. She'd just start looking for us the moment she realized we were gone. We'll make it through this. You and me like always. Right.. partner?" She placed one of her hands over his

"Like always."

.

 **Sorry for the late chapter guys. I really wanted to get it knocked out yesterday but I've been busy on top of catching the flu, focusing on it has been hard. I hope you liked it, thank you so much for 26 follows and 11 favorites. I see you awesome people, and ya'll are the reason I get so excited for to write these. Also if you wouldn't mind, It be awesome if you could leave a review, its always appreciated.**

 **Next chapter: the battle with the Grimm Hydra, and some more Bumblebee for you all**

 **Stay gold everyone,**

 **-DB**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello there everyone and welcome to chapter 6. Im very sorry for the wait on this chapter, but I wanted to take a short break to kinda get my head together so I didn't incur any massive writers block going forward. Without much more introduction..let us continue!**

Weiss considered herself a pretty patient person when it came to fighting Grimm. Some were a lot more stubborn than others and just took a lot more effort; heaven knows that Grimm dragon back at Beacon could have wiped them all out if it hadn't been stopped. But she had NEVER encountered one she hated fighting more than this dust-forsaken Hydra. The monster had tore through the soldiers that hadn't been hurt by the initial Grimm onslaught, leaving the exhausted hunters on their own. Weiss had tried to call for more reinforcements, but got no response but static.

"Watch the left!" Jaune shouted to Ren, who barely managed to roll around as one of the beast's claws swung in his direction. Weiss swung her weapon,, firing a wave of ice shards at it. They stuck into its hide, but other than a quick flinch, it didn't react.

"Well this isn't working is it?" Weiss said panting a bit. Hearing a few shots going off near her, She glanced over at Ruby who had insisted on fighting despite Weiss' protests otherwise. Crescent Rose's sniper rounds were hitting the monster, but they didn't appear to be doing any real damage. The head nearest to her lunged in her direction but one quick flash of rose petals and Ruby had easily dodged it, though her face twisted into a grimace at having to use her speed again.

"Its hide is too thick for a frontal attack. We need to get around to it's back" Ren said. Nora ran by him, bounded off a tree and leapt up high intending to bring her hammer down onto its spine, but was met with the middle head snapping at her to where she had to alter her course. Her hammer came down hard on its shoulder which rocked it backwards. She cursed under her breath as she came to a landing near them

"Good luck with that one, it knows it's weaker back there-" she was cut off by the Grimm's spiked tail hitting her squarely between the shoulder blades, sending her flying. She hit a few trees before landing awkwardly on her left leg.

"Nora!" Ren yelled

"Oh that's IT!" Ruby growled using her semblance to rapidly slash again and again at the monsters legs, trying to bring it down. Weiss and Ren kept firing at its necks while Jaune kept his barrier up in front of them, the claws and teeth bashing against it. Ruby skidded to a stop beside them. Her eyes met Weiss' and a smirk appeared on both of their faces after a brief moment.

"Jaune, keep it up. We just need another couple of minutes," Weiss said as Ruby hurried behind the shield. Jaune nodded and dug his feet in, using his aura to repair the cracks that had begun to appear in it. "Ren, you should go get Nora now while it's focused on us. We'll need her if were going to do this."

"Understood," he said rushing towards Nora, who hadn't moved since the impact with the ground. He crouched beside her and gently picked her up and carried her back to the others. "Nora..are you okay?" He asked when he felt her stirring

"Ugh…remind me to get the number of that bus that hit me," she grumbled, wincing a bit as Weiss and Ruby healed her leg up. "So whats the plan?"

"Were going to try a little something. Gives us and excuse use that new upgrade you've been talking about. When I let you both go, Weiss, you know your part."

"Whatever it is I'd really appreciate it if you could hurry!" Jaune snapped, his feet sinking further into the ground as he held the barrier in place. Nora's hammer crackled with electrical energy as she crouched low to the ground to the left of Ruby. Ren held his blades up, keeping to the right of her. Behind them, Weiss had formed a large glyph, the center of which slowly began to form a large arm.

"What exactly is your plan Ruby?" Ren asked

"Im going to grab both of you and were all three going to take out one of the heads each. It keeps swiping us away anytime were near one of the necks so that's likely another weak point. But trying to focus on one at a time is too risky. Weiss is going to take care of the body so it has no chance to regenerate itself."

"Clever."

"I cant hold anymore…" Jaune said in a pained voice, the barrier beginning to splinter and cave in, and this time he wasn't able to repair it.

"Weiss?" Ruby asked glancing back nervously

"Im ready! Go!" Ruby nodded and ran forward, one arm grabbing Ren and the other Nora. A bright red blur of rose petals with a green and pink streak charged forward from the faltering shield then suddenly split apart, Ruby throwing them both at the left and right most necks of the beast. Ren spun around in a wide arc as hard as he could, his blades tearing through the inky black flesh. Nora threw all of her weight into the swing of her hammer that connected harshly with the base where the spine met the skull. The Grimms head exploded, the neck hanging down limply.

Ruby smirked as she felt Crescent Rose easily slice apart the third and final head, even though she began to feel faint as she landed. Her semblance was starting to bite back against the overuse now.

The hydras body began to slowly rock back and forth, no longer having any direction. As this happened, Weiss raised Myrtenaster high over her head, the icy white arm of the knight mimicking her action. The arm was a LOT bigger than normal, to compensate for the target being bigger. With a flick of her wrist, Weiss brought down her sword and with it the knights. The brilliant white blade sliced through the body of the Hydra easily, and after a moments pause it began to fade away. Weiss held her head as the arm vanished. "Well..that was a thing," Nora grinned.

"Oh shut up," Jaune mumbled as he stood. His hair was sticking to his forehead and drops of sweat ran down his face. Weiss walked over and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Thank you..if you hadn't protected us for so long we wouldn't have lasted." The corner of Jaune's mouth twitched a bit, but his frown remained in place as he looked away.

"Just doing what needed to be done," He said, fist clenching and unclenching. Weiss shook her head quickly..

"I don't believe that, Jaune. The way you jumped in-"

"I didn't want anyone else to die." This time he looked right at her, the tone of his voice low and cold. "That doesn't make things with us okay," he said before walking by her and back in the direction of camp. Ren sighed softly as he watched him go.

"Forgive him, Weiss."

"No, no..I understand completely." She turned and made her way over to Ruby who was staring at the collapsed entrance of the cavern. "What're you thinking?" She asked, Ruby visibly flinching as she was pulled from her trance.

"Im thinking even if there were more Grimm down there..that Hydra just sealed his buddies in with his grand entrance," she said with a tired half smile.

"So it would appear. You did wonderfully with that plan, Ruby. Then again, that's why you're my leader after all." Ruby turned towards her and began to speak, but before she could, she felt her body freeze as though someone had chained her up. Her balance left her as her vision blurred in and out, Weiss having to catch her from falling forward too much. "Ruby? Ruby, what's wrong?" She said, panic starting to seep in to her tone.

"I..I don't..know.." Her voice faded as her eyes shut. Ren and Nora hurried over, Ren taking one of Ruby's arms over his shoulder, Nora the other.

"We need to get her back, now. And send someone to retrieve the bodies of our fallen," Ren said as he stared at the bodies of the soldiers. This was becoming a far too common occurrence. The causality rates among the non-hunter troops was incredibly high of late, and it made him uneasy about the long-term viability of Atlas sending help. But there would be time to figure all of that out later. Slowly they began walking after Jaune to get back, Ruby not stirring once the whole way.

- **Camp Infirmary, 2 hours later** -

Weiss sat by the bunk Ruby had been placed on, her hand firmly gripping one of the unconscious girls. They had been worried about aura depletion when she was admitted but thankfully it wasn't as severe as that. They ran a few tests which Weiss was still waiting to hear from, but unless they were wrong, a couple days of bed rest and she should be good as new, though that didn't relax her much. While they were checking her for wounds, Weiss had seen the dozen or so new scars that now covered Ruby's body; some a little faded, others much more fresh. The one that had scared her worst of all was the one on her upper right arm, her outfit normally keeping it hidden from view. It was a large circular one with a deep black center where it had closed up. There was only one type of Grimm Weiss could think of that had that kind of after effect: a Nevermore.

Thankfully from the size it had likely been a juvenile. Had Ruby been shot like that from a fully grown one, she likely would have lost that arm. Even still, the younger ones can still be fatal if they hit a vital organ, and this one had been too close to Ruby's chest for comfort.

"I told you not to push yourself with so many missions you dolt.." She said softly. What was Ruby trying to prove by doing this? This fight they had found themselves thrown into was far from being over, and they would need everyone they had left to be as healthy as possible. Footsteps behind her made her turn away from Ruby towards the entrance. Standing there was an Atlas doctor in a white coat and a pair of glasses pushed up over his dark brown eyes. The small smile he gave her was tired, but friendly.

"Miss Schnee? Forgive my interruption, but I thought I would inform you that the last of the tests we gave her came back all clear. Your fear that she had pushed herself too far was all too correct, but still it never hurts to be sure yes?"

"Of course," Weiss said with a nod.

"Excellent! At any rate..I'm going to speak to Sergeant Tomlin about getting Ruby excluded from upcoming missions for a few days. And if that doesn't work-"

"I have General Ironwoods contact information. He gives you any attitude, be sure to remind him of that. I'll not have Ruby die from exertion because he can't tell her 'no' sometimes." Weiss said, her eyes narrowed. The doctor nodded and left to go inform the man. Weiss turned back to Ruby and slowly lifted the sleeping girls hand up, kissing the top of it softly. " I have to go but I'll be back as soon as I can. Look…I..I know thing's haven't been great between us lately Ruby but.. When you get better we'll talk okay? I promise." She let go of her hand and walked towards the entrance, stopping to look at her again "I love you.." She said in a whisper before leaving, stepping outside

- **Patch-**

Yang winced a bit as she slowly brought herself back to a standing position. "Do it again." Blake bit her lip as she slowly relaxed back into a combat stance, her fists clenching a word, they threw themselves towards each other, Yang using her kicks to keep her right side safe while parrying her quick strikes with her good arm. Her body cried out in protest but she wouldn't let up. They only stopped when Yang managed to land a solid kick to Blake's midsection. Her aura held back the damage it would have done, but the impact was enough to force them apart again. Seeing Yang trembling as she stood there panting was enough to make Blake relax her stance and walk towards her this time, despite Yang's look of protest.

"We've done enough for now, Yang. Let's rest up before we go get some dinner," she said as she put her arms around her tightly.

"Blake…" Yang said softly. Blake shook her head and tightened her grip, pressing her face against Yang's shoulder.

"You can't strain yourself. Your surgery won't go any smoother if your weakened going into it."

"I know but..Ironwood's letter said-"

"I know what it said, Yang. I also know that you need a break before you completely collapse, and Im damned if I'm going to let you do that to yourself again." Yang let out a long sigh before wrapping her arm around Blake's waist, squeezing her back a bit.

"Okay..I'll slow it down a bit..for you." She raised an eyebrow when Blake let out a short giggle. "What's funny?"

"The irony of ME telling YOU to slow down because your doing too much at once, that's what. Wasn't so long ago this little chat was reversed right?" She said, glancing up at her. Yang smiled and brought her hand up to Blake's cheek, which Blake leaned into, her eyes closing a little.

"I suppose it was..thanks Blake. I..love you," she whispered. Blake's eyes opened back up and she stared in shock for a moment, before relaxing and smiling back

"And I love you too." It was simple, yet she sounded so sure that Yang could have cried. But there had been enough crying between them since Beacon. So instead, she leaned in and kissed her, unable to keep from smiling against Blake's lips as she felt her kiss back. After a couple of minutes they pulled apart, Yang keeping her forehead pressed to Blake's.

"So…how about that dinner date?" She teased to which a small smirk broke out into Blake's face.

"Very well..but you'll have to catch me first." She took off a a quick run towards the house, throwing open the door as she burst in.

"Oh you are so in for it when I catch you!" Yang laughed as she followed after her.

"You'll never take me alive," Blake called back, laughing a bit herself as she did. Taiyang rolled his eyes in amusement as he watched them run all over.

 **Annnd there we have it, folks. Again, a thousand apologies for the wait, I want to have this done a few days ago, but life kept stepping in the way. The next chapter is already underway as you read this, so hopefully it wont take as long this time.**

 **Next time: Emerald and Mercury, Jaune completely collapses, AND we finally get to see the White Fang's preparations for the attack on Aranviel, which will include Adam. So, hope to see ya'll next time.**

 **Stay gold you crazy fanatics,**

 **-DB**


	7. Chapter 7

**No big intro this time, just a quick announcement! In addition to this story im going to be starting another story that's more in line with the actual canon of the story, mainly focusing on Blake and Yang reuniting to bring ruin to the White Fang.**

- **Vale** -

Jaune had been on his way into the barracks when he heard Ren speaking in a quiet voice, to Nora he assumed. He pressed his back to the wall and listened closely. "I believe it's best we just give them to him, Nora. He has a right to have them."

"Im not arguing that part, Ren. I just think it can wait until things are at least a bit back to normal is all."

"When will that be, Nora? You heard the projections as well as I. It's only going to get worse for a while. Maybe it'll give him a reason to keep fighting."

"Or it'll be the nail in the coffin. You see how well he handles Ruby and Weiss. We can't just toss this into his lap on top of everything else."

"You think he isn't ready?"

"I don't know. He still hasn't dealt with his grief over her properly. This would-" Jaune walked in, unable to just keep listening.

"How about you let me decide if I want whatever this is? Or do you think I should let you decide FOR me, like I'm a child?" He demanded, making Nora wince a bit. She gave Ren one last 'your sure' type look, to which he nodded. Nora patted the spot on the bunk she was on and Jaune carefully sat down, his legs and back still aching from the fight.

"When..the evacuation was going on, me and Ren had to go to the dorms to help some students who were trapped. And well..we managed to stop by our dorm on the way out. We grabbed a few of..her things." Jaune's throat tightened a bit at how her voice lowered. Ren let out a long sigh, sensing his friends tension.

"We'd already heard about her from Weiss. We thought it'd be worth the effort to try and bring it back." Jaune saw him walk to his locker and bring back a bag. The logo was faded but Jaune saw clear as day it was team JNPR's old training gear bag. Ren sat it down and opened it. After digging for a moment, he handed Jaune a scroll. "Pyrrha had left this in the bag before her fight with Penny, and well..there's some messages on there you may wish to hear."

"She..she left messages?" Jaune whispered, running his hands over the scroll. It was Pyrrha's alright, that background image on it was one of her and Nora in front of the test of strength game from the vytal festival. Jaune smiled a bit sadly at the memory, remembering the vendor being furious when they had smashed the game to bits.

"She recorded several. I believe she wanted to send them but..Pyrrha never was good at that. Also.." Jaune looked up as Ren produced some of the metal that Pyrrha kept to repair her own gear. "I though..what better way to honor her then by using this with your own weapons and armor? And lastly.." When he pulled out a red sash, Jaune thought he would lose it. It was exactly like the one Pyrrha had worn. Ren put everything except the scroll back in the bag and put it at Jaune's feet. Nora put a hand on his shoulder, making him look at her, her eyes full of concern, but Jaune shook her off.

"Could..you guys leave me alone for a little bit?" He said softly. Nora was about to say no, but one look from Ren silenced it before it was spoken.

"Of course, Jaune. Come find us when your ready to talk." He grabbed Nora's hand and the two left, Nora giving him one last worried glanced before the door closed. Jaune slid the bag under his bunk and relaxed against the pillows as he held the scroll close. When he went to unlock it however, he saw it had a password on it. Cursing under his breath, he began to type anything he could think of: Destiny, pumpkin pete, you name it.

"Wait.." He said, his chest feeling a bit tight as it dawned on him. He typed in Arkos and the scroll unlocked with a pinging sound. His eyes watered and he had to take a moment to compose himself before he went to the video recordings and shuffled through it. He found the ones set after they'd already been partners for a while. The first was her sitting in the courtyard by one of the fountains

" _Okay! So…I don't really know how to start this. I mean, not this the recording, obviously I know how to start that but..I'm already messing up aren't i? Never mind."_

He chuckled a bit as the recording cut. "Why were you always so nervous..god I should've been the nervous wreck." He said softly. The next one was her sitting in their dorm. From the date, he figured it was just after the dance.

" _Hello again, Jaune. I just wanted to tell you that..i um..really appreciate everything you did at the dance. You really made it worthwhile to go, even though I didn't want to initially. I must admit, I didn't expect you to be such a good dancer. Which..kind of leads me to why I'm sending this. What I wanted to ask was…maybe we could go do that again? Theres a few decent places in Vale and..n-never mind. Silly idea, you probably wouldn't want too."_

He sighed heavily as it ended. Had he really given off that impression, even after all of that? He would have gladly taken her out to dance if she'd wanted too. The last one was recorded about two hours before her fight with Penny. Pyrrha was in the prep area for the tournament finals, and she looked very upset

" _Jaune..i can't even begin to tell you how sorry I am for what I did. Slamming you into that wall like that…I wasn't thinking. I hope you don't hate me now."_

"Never Pyrrha..never."he whispered

" _I wouldn't blame you if you didn't even come here to support me. But I promise Jaune..I will explain everything once this is over and we have some free time. You mean so much to me, and I..I..I hate that I hurt someone that I truly love like I did. I'll make it up to you. I swear. And even if you don't want to be as close as we have been..I'll always be here for you. No matter what.'_

Jaune felt tears running down his face as the recording ended. That one sentence kept echoing inside his head. 'I hurt someone I truly love like I did'. Pyrrha really had loved him. She probably had for a a long time, then if her other recordings were any indicator. The nervousness, saying he was the type of guy she wanted to take her to dance..it was all adding up. And he had not only been too blind to notice this, but had flirted with Weiss in front of her AND asked her for advice to get with her! The weight of realizing all of this felt like someone had dropped a lead weight on his chest.

"P-Pyrrha..oh god.." He sobbed, the scroll dropping out of his hands as he curled his legs up, his face dropping onto his knees as his body wracked with sobs. His hands tugged at his hair as every memory he had of her ran through his mind. He was so fucking stupid. How could he have possibly been so blind?! "I-Im so so s-sorry Pyrrha.." He choked out, laying down onto his side. He had no idea how long he had stayed there like that, but when the door opened, he heard the quiet sigh of Ren.

"You watched all of them I'm assuming.."

"Im such a fool…I failed her."

"No. Your not, nor are you a failure of any such description. Being oblivious to the affections of another is a common thing, Jaune. You forget who your talking to sometimes." He said as he sat on the bunk nearest Jaune.

"Did you know? How she felt about me?" Silence met his question. "Ren?"

"I…had my assumptions. I didn't feel it was my place to intrude so I didn't. It took some convincing for Nora to stay out of it, however." Jaune sat up and gathered up his sword and shield, heading towards the door.

"I need to get out of here for a bit.."

"Jaune it'll be dark soon. You know it's against code-"

"Fuck the code and fuck Atlas. If they hadn't let themselves get hacked, things might have been better! Pyrrha might still be here!"

"I understand hearing this has upset you greatly but-"

"Ren. Im going. If you try and stop me, Im not making any promises about wether or not I'll move you." Ren sighed heavily and sat back down. Jaune had more in common with Pyrrha then he had ever realized. He simply nodded and sat back down as Jaune stormed out. After a quick stop off to find out where there had been Grimm sightings, Jaune made his way to the outer gates. Ignoring the calls of the Atlas officials who yelled after him, his mind had settled on one thing only-to take as many Grimm out if this world as he was able too. If he died..so be it. "At least I'll see Pyrrha again, if that happens," he said softly. The last bits of light from the camp faded, the darkness of the forest fully surrounding him now. He embraced it.

- **Hideout** -

Mercury shifted a bit as he and Emerald sat watching the screens. All around them, the various approaches and routes in and out of the place were covered by cameras. "How much longer are you wanting to do this?" She asked with a yawn. He turned his head from the laptop to glance at her.

"As long as I have to until I'm positive there's nothing Im overlooking. When we make our move, it has to be quick, and when there zero chance we'll be spotted. That includes memorizing the guard changes."

"Were not slaves Merc. We could just make up some excuse, say were going in a mission for Cinder," she mumbled.

"Well first off, I'd think it's debatable if were slaves or not. And it'd take about 3 seconds to call and confirm were not. She wants us here until she gets back from the attacks. That means she doesn't want use moving on our own and that's not good. Id bet money she has people waiting to rat on us if we just try to waltz out of here. Were running out of time, that's why I hacked into the camera feeds." Emerald looked back to the screen and pointed to feed number five.

"That one..the path is covered in trees on both sides and the guards are usually half asleep anyways."

"I was thinking of that, too but the area before the tree line is wide open. If we get unlucky and get a half-competent guard were finished before we start." She sighed and yawned again before nodding. "Look..you can sleep for a bit if you want. the nightmares wont be too bad tonight. I got this. I'll wake you when I'm done so you can go back to your room."

"Yeah, wouldn't hold my breath on the nightmares. But…thanks," she said, finally letting her eyes close fully. Mercury let out a long breath before going back to watching. His eyes flicked over every inch of what he could see. He wanted no mistakes, not even the chance of one. They would be essentially gambling their lives on this, but if they stayed with Cinder..

"There is no gamble. Were as good as dead." He mumbled. Beside him, Emerald was already shifting and twitching nervously. Seems she was right, her nightmares weren't letting up at all. After a moment, her hand reached out, grabbing onto his. For a moment he thought she might've woken up, but her eyes were still closed. She was just reaching out for whatever was close while she dealt with this. He went back to studying the screen, but when he felt her hand squeeze his, he couldn't help a little half grin forming on his face, gripping it back. Emerald slowly relaxed in her sleep, seeming to at least been calmed by this. The sight made him even more determined to make sure they got out of this.

 **So I decided to cut the part with Adam and the attack preparations, as I realized it kind of spoiled something big I have planned for later and needed to re-write it but ive been delaying this chapter enough already**

 **As always, if you wouldn't mind leaving a review/fav/ follow I'd be eternally grateful**

 **Peace out,**

 **-DB**


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